For you .338 fans out there

[610Alpha]

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/ultimate-sniper-rifle/all/1

[EX121]

WOW thats over 8000 feet.

[Bill Foster]

Cool. I didn't think the Britt's had it in them.

[Patriot Prepper]

The .338 Lapua is a great round. The Accuracy International rifle, in the article, is one of the best sniper rifles in the world. They are not cheap and they are hard to get ( usually a long waiting period, unless you find one somewhere).

I have a Savage 110 BA chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum and may make a video of it in the future. However, please note: I do not make gun videos until I own several of the gun and they are cached. Once that is accomplished, I will make a video.

The .338 has better ballistics than the 7.62/.308 Win at longer ranges. It will buck the wind better, reach further, and offer greater penetrating power, than the .308 Winchester. One of the draw backs of the .338 LM is that it is not cheap to shoot. It costs about $5 a round.

Even when I reload, it costs more to shoot a reloaded .338 round, than a new match grade .308 round. But I do love the gun.

I would not recommend buying a .338 LM until you have experience with smaller calipers such as the .308 Win - also keep in mind the expense of shooting the .338 and the purpose of the round. Shooting the .338 at ranges under 300 or 400 yards is pointless in my opinion - it is a long range weapon. To really appreciate the cartridge you need to shoot it at long range distances. It is really difficult in some areas of the country to find ranges over 1,000 yards.

[Klayton]

Very NICE!!! But I will stick with my .338 Federal, I will leave those long range shots to the cowboys. :)

Thanks for sharing!

[errn]

Anyone know of a comparison of the .338's Winchester Magnum, Federal, Weatherby Magnum, Lapua--any others?

thanks,
don

[shooter]

I shoot a heavy 340 Weatherby mag and I do enjoy it! The 340 is about equal in muzzle velocity with the Lapua with equal weight bullets. Some poeple say the Weatherby is not nearly as accurate as the Laupa but I have found that is not true. NOW my 340's have quality aftermarket barrels and I use good reloading standards & they both shoot 5 shot groups in the low .7's My 250 gr Serria MK's leave at 2940 FPS I have not tryed any of the new 300gr MK's as of yet. Now recoil is a factor and I don't shoot them as much as I used to, I am spending much more time with my 308 win and the 300 Win Mag medium weight guns.

Now if I needed to stop a truck you can bet that I would rather have the 340 up and running than the 30 cals and as mentioned I thing the extra shooting with the smaller round keeps my skills sharper.

For a heads up comparison google Mike Hawks and 338

[Edgemont]

So I know it really comes down to the individaul's preference, but what is the "best" calliber for long-distance shooting? I would like to have at least one longer range gun... And I was thinking about going with a 300 win mag... But then a gun salesman told me the .338 was the way to go. So if I were to buy just one rifle that was not a .308 and to be used as a long range gun... What should I get? any thoughts?


(Sorry... I don't want to start a "The Best" caliber debate)

[Grand58742]

So I know it really comes down to the individaul's preference, but what is the "best" calliber for long-distance shooting? I would like to have at least one longer range gun... And I was thinking about going with a 300 win mag... But then a gun salesman told me the .338 was the way to go. So if I were to buy just one rifle that was not a .308 and to be used as a long range gun... What should I get? any thoughts?


(Sorry... I don't want to start a "The Best" caliber debate)

Honestly, a .300 Win Mag is about the extent of most folks capabilities unless you are shooting almost daily and have a range to take advantage of a .338. The .300 is a 1,200 yard round easy and the Navy touts a round that's good out to 1,500 yards. So really, unless you are looking at shooting at a mile or more, the .300 will be just fine and better than most.

Cost of the .338 is also a huge problem. The rounds are not cheap at all and unless you are reloading, will take quite a bit of money to put up a stash. You are talking $500 minimum for a hundred. Then you have training/proficiency rounds to keep in practice, finding the right load your rifle "likes" etc. Don't get me wrong, the .338 is a great round for the intended application of long range precision firepower. But frankly, it's more round than most folks can take to its limits.

So basically, the .300 vs the .338...for a military sniper not on a budget and has a 2000 meter range to take the round out to its limits? .338 is the way to go. If you are a competition shooter that wants an edge over the other guy, maybe the .338 will provide that.

For the prepper on a budget trying to stash away rounds while also keeping proficient with practice fire? And get a rifle that won't cost the sun, moon and firstborn child? .300 Win Mag all the way.

Just my two cents worth on the .330 vs .338 debate.

And another opinion of mine...you have a gun dealer trying to push a .338 on you, frankly, tell him to have a nice day and move on. He's looking for an expensive sale and could care less what you spend on ammo or whatever. You can get a decent .300 rig for a little over a grand (minus the glass). But a .338 Lapua? $2,000 minimum for an Armalite, $5K plus for the high end Accuracy Internationals or the Sako's. There are others (Remington, Savage, etc) that are between $1,200 and $2000. And that's base price minus the high power scope you have to have. So if a gun dealer was trying to guide me towards a .338 over a .300 and I wasn't a long range competition shooter or a sniper that needed a round that went out to a mile? I'd find another shop. Just my opinion.

As for the "what should I get?" question. Answer? Depends on what you want the round to do, how far out you plan on shooting it, what kind of a rifle you want (bolt action, auto, etc) and manufacturer and how much practice you keep up with. Bolts are traditionally known as the accurate rifles. However, there are more than a few auto loaders that are just as good in my opinion. As for calibers, .308 is always a good choice. .300 Win Mag is always reliable. 7mm Mag is a decent choice. There are even match rounds for a .30-06 that are perfectly fine. Even the .223/5.56 is acceptable out to a certain distance.

The real questions you have to ask yourself: How far is my maximum engagement range? How much practice will I spend with my chosen rifle? How much ammo should I stockpile? Do I want an auto loader or a bolt and what quality piece of glass will I put on top? And last but not least, how much money am I willing to spend on all of the above?

And above all, don't discount the .308 as a long range round. It's got a lot more going for it than most of the other rounds I mentioned because it is in wide circulation as a precision round.

[ebb]

A 300 win mag may be all you need , but there is nothing like making the gong at the 1000yd range at Manatee go a complete revolution. I have a 338 LAP mag and love it , I dobt i would get another if i didnt have this one. To shoot it at anything that isnt a waste takes a 4 hour trip one way to west Florida to a 1000yd range, and shooting it at 100 or 200 yds close to home is just not the same. If you want a 338 gun there are several options that may make more sense, A 338 win mag is one option it may not be the answer after 600or 700yds, but would give good results closer. Good 338 win mags are cheap and plentiful after elk season. The 338 RUM gives up very little to a LAP mag for long distance or penatration. The only down side it has is quality brass is not avalible but if you dont hand load that doesnt mean any thing any way. I think the best economy long range gun is the 300 RUM it will make 200fps more than a 300Win mag and with heavy 200 grn plus bullets it has penatration that is impressive. I dont think a 300 RUM willl cost a hand loader any more to shoot than a win mag but has much more power. Patriot Prepper I didnt know there were any others with LAP mags in south FL other than PBSO. Ebb